The Right Place
by topsy-turvydom
Summary: The journey is more astonishing than the destination itself. She had proven that statement to be right; more so when she got 'it' wrong. (A SasuSaku One-shot)


"**The Right Place"**

* * *

_The journey is more astonishing than the destination itself._

She has proven that statement to be right, more so when she got 'it' wrong.

* * *

I scurried across the lobby and twisted through the crowd as if I were a dodge ball player. I stepped on someone's foot and bumped shoulders with another, but I didn't pause. My breath was speeding ahead of me.

"SORRY!" that ought to do it.

I sprinted up the escalator and the familiar row of gates came into view. I darted towards one, shoved my ticket in, glided through, and grabbed the now punched ticket on the other side. Then I was in dodge ball player mode again, making my way through another crowd at the platform.

I glanced at my watch, then at the stationary train. That's my ride! Oh no! The doors were closing! I mustered what strength I had left and ran for my dear life.

"WAIT!"

The doors slid closed… right behind me. I did it! I let out a sigh of relief as the floor moved and the familiar mechanical sound started.

"Hn."

I looked up and realized I was pressed against something, or rather, someone. Right before me, was the side view of a guy with a strange hair style. Well, who am I to judge? I have pink hair!

He wriggled his right shoulder. That's when I noticed my hand clinging to the collar of his light blue shirt. I let go immediately as if it burned me.

"Sorry." I muttered, trying to look at anything but him. The train offered a lot of stuff despite its limited area. No one here can be sued for trespassing one's personal space. People wore different kinds of clothing and accessories. Each face was different from another, but somehow alike at the same time.

"Hn."

I glanced at him. He's facing front... which was kind of odd. His left arm was holding onto the suspended hand-grip. I wondered if he ever looked in my direction. Probably not! He seemed to be the aloof type. I shrugged and turned my back on him to peer out the door pane.

The sunset view from here never failed to amaze me. The blending of orange, pink and yellow seemed so warm. The same colors were reflected on the glass windows of skyscrapers. I bet they're also mirrored on my green eyes. Every so often, the buildings near the rail track blocked the picture. But it was still a magnificent view every after box silhouettes nonetheless. The vertical steel parts of the rail were blurry as the MRT sped by. It added a dramatic effect to the scenery.

I shifted my weight on my left foot. From experience, I learned that's the technique in standing up for long periods of time. Just shift your weight from foot to foot and your legs would barely feel sore at all. In this case, I was supposed to stand for fifteen minutes until the next station. And another fifteen minutes after that.

Yeah, that's how far we live from the Central Business District, which was on the western side of Konoha City. We live near the city boundary to the east, at Shinobi District. My parents bought a house and lot there. We just moved in last week from an apartment near the CBD. I refused to transfer schools, though. So, I had to cross the city everyday for two more years until I graduate from college. Finding a boarding house near my school wasn't an option either. That one's a direct order from my dad.

Sometimes, I take my mp3 player with me to relieve boredom. But today, I woke up late this morning and forgot to pack it in my escapade to school.

I felt someone shift behind me. And I remembered the guy I held onto a while ago. My cheeks got warm in an instant. That was embarrassing! Way to go Sakura. You just made a huge fool of yourself. I sighed and opted to pay attention to the scenery once more.

I heard a giggle to my right. I turned and saw three girls chatting among themselves. They looked about in their early teenage years. One of them pointed at the guy behind me and then they chorused giggling. Oh… I see… That explained his odd position. So he didn't want the attention, huh. I think that deserved a smirk.

The train stopped for Station 4. Almost half of the passengers took off. I was lucky I spotted a vacant seat. I rushed and claimed it immediately. That saved me another round of foot shifting. I allowed the corners of my lips to tug upward. Only a few people were standing now. But there were also days when more seats were vacant.

Outside, it's already dark. Only a few rays of the now hidden sun peeked at the horizon. The streetlights and the glow from buildings took over in illuminating the city. Oh well, there's still a good view of people in here.

People watching can also help ease boredom. Again, I learned that from experience. There were those whose eyebrows were furrowed all throughout the ride. They're sweating and kept on fidgeting on their seats. They grimaced every now and then. They glanced at their wrist watch more than often. And when the train stops, they're the first ones to leave; faster than a marathon champion.

Sometimes, there were also those who go right to the left and walk forward to the back. They're the ones who people scoot away from, like they have some kind of disease. They mutter strange languages that only exist in their universe. When they feel like it, they use the bench as a make-shift bed. If they're lucky to notice the train has stopped, they go along with other passengers. And if they happen to pass by in front of you, you could notice the stench that screamed bar!

Then there's the classic. There were those who seemed really tired with droopy red eyes. And the next thing you knew, their pupils were gone in another train to dreamland. Okay, I wasn't an exemption to this category. I admit there were days when I tend to doze off in the MRT. Unfortunately, today wasn't one of those days. So, I was free to hunt for the lucky ones.

I peered around and spotted one boy sitting on the opposite bench. He's wearing a high school uniform. He wore earrings and his black hair had blonde highlights on it. This boy sure was a rule breaker. His eyelids were falling… falling… and now shut. Wow, it seemed like I wasn't the only one who mastered the art of sleeping in a sitting position. I wondered how long he can keep his balance. Oops! His head bumped with his seatmate's shoulder. He sat straight again. Strike two! I was getting the hang of this.

Oho! He went for strike three! Will he get back up? We can only wait. Can he do it? Oh no! The referee's counting. One… Two... and… Aww, that's all he got. He's now leaning against his seatmate's left shoulder. The sports channel was switched to a movie one. And a romance movie was now showing.

I looked over to the leading lady… or should I say leading man? I was struggling to keep myself from laughing then and there. Beside the sleeping prince was the man I encountered a while ago, the charming beauty. Now that I saw him properly, he looked kind of cute. He seemed about my age too. He could even be upgraded to handsome if he wasn't wearing that scowl on his face. He shook his shoulder, but the boy didn't wake.

I looked away while I can still control the urge to laugh out loud. I was struggling to keep the corners of my mouth from pulling up. Thankfully, the train stopped. This is where I disembark, Station 7.

I stood up and made my way to the door, along with the others. Then I felt a smack on my arm. I was shoved to the side and nearly lost my balance. Fire raced through me as I looked up at the culprit. Well, what do you know; it's the charming beauty after all.

He wasn't so charming anymore. Chivalry and he did not go along. I just zipped my lips and rubbed my arm. He probably was just in a hurry. I can sympathize with that, but a simple apology would've been nice. It seemed he couldn't squeeze himself any further and he settled in front of me. Ugh, could this line get any slower? I glared daggers at not-so-charming-beauty's back.

We finally got through the door. But before he walked to another direction, I noticed something. On his left shoulder was an irregular shaped blot, three to five shades darker than his shirt. My anger was buried six feet under.

I didn't care that people were giving me strange looks. One could only take so much amusement.

* * *

If this cannot pass as a hobby, then routine it was. I rushed to the MRT. Again. As usual, I ended up standing. I wasn't the last person to go on board though, and that's an improvement. Who do you think took my place?... If you answered 'not-so-charming-beauty,' then congratulations! You got it!

The only difference was that he looked more composed than I was. It's like he didn't run all the way in here, at all. Or maybe he really didn't. I haven't really noticed him until now.

The doors slid closed and the engines started running. He seemed to not notice me at first. But when our eyes met, I automatically beamed at him. Well, partly because I remembered the last incident involving his shirt.

His face remained indifferent, as I stared at the dark dark super dark eyes staring back at me. I can hardly see his pupils. Mississippi one. Mississippi two. He looked away and turned around to face the door. I was offended, really I was. I just can't seem to wipe this wide grin off my face.

There's a disadvantage of not getting in last. I wasn't able to get a good view of the scenery outside. Instead, I got the perfect view of not-so-charming-beauty's back. He's wearing a black shirt this time. Again, I grinned at the thought of one possible reason why he chose that color.

Here's the deal. I'm really not that tall. Fine, I'm short! But that's a slap to the cheek when I was this close to a… um… six footer? Well, he seems to be. I think I only reach up to his earlobes. Alright, lower than that. But close!

Blah… Why did I keep forgetting my mp3 player? Ow, my legs were already aching. I also forgot my foot shifting ritual. Seriously, it's a miracle I was still alive at this point. Not-so-charming-beauty shuffled. I began to suspect if he also discovered the foot shifting thing. If that were the case, I could call him a colleague!

My hair has a unique color, but it was styled in a normal way at its short length. It barely brushed my shoulders. His hair has a normal color which was black, but it was styled in a unique way. Great... Our hairs were total opposites; maybe they can attract each other? I wasn't sure about that, but I had this sudden urge to reach for his hair. Was it soft, unlike its spiky appearance?

I gazed at his hair and imagined how it would feel like on my fingers. Well I could try and touch it. Just one strand of hair would do. It would be over before he even knew it. That didn't imply anything of course; it's just out of curiosity. I began to raise my hand. Slowly, my index and thumb were nearing the back of his head, reaching for a hair strand. Just one more centimeter, before the train stopped. I was snapped out of my trance and dropped my hand. Woah, what was that about?

I was still lucky to find a vacant seat once the others dropped off. Ah… My legs were rejoicing with me. Wait a minute. I sniffed. And sniffed once more. Oh-uh, I smelled a category 2 passenger. I looked around for the target. My vision zeroed in on a middle-aged looking man, one person away to my left.

He's swaying with the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in his mind. Black hair mixed with white, followed his movement. His reddened eyes were halfway closed above its full bags. And it's the spring season for the hairs on his face.

I looked away before he noticed I was observing. The issue with category 2 people was that some, if not all, tend to be war freaks. If they caught you looking at them, they would assume it as a challenge.

The woman beside me scooted over. I turned to her and saw category 2 guy swinging sideways over to her shoulder and back to his starting position. I bit down my lower lip and scooted away as well. I directed my gaze to my lap, where my bag sat. I studied the black footprint shaped keychain hooked to one zipper.

The woman scooted further to me. I was already being squeezed between her and a grandpa to my right. The woman stood up without warning, so I raised my head to look at her. She walked over to the center in a fair distance, and reached for one of the poles. She stayed there.

She threw a glance at category 2 guy's direction. I decided to turn my head and look at his state, but a sudden weight to my lap beat me to it. So, I did what any sober person would do.

"AAH!"

I quickly rose to my feet, knocking him over. He could probably fall from the bench, but I didn't care. I scampered toward my ex-seatmate, who was now my pole-mate. I was pretty sure she can hear the loud hammering in my chest.

I looked over at category 2 guy. His eyes were missing. In their place were two luggage, filled with barrels of booze and sand man's dust. I sighed. It's no surprise he wasn't disturbed by my hysteria. But it's a wonder how he didn't fall off that bench.

"You okay?" The woman beside me asked.

I turned to her and nodded. "Yeah, I guess… Thanks."

She offered a polite smile, so I smiled back at her in assurance. That was another lesson learned. Watch out for, and never sit one to five persons away from category 2's.

My eyes roamed to the other passengers. Some were looking at me; but as soon as I met their eyes, they avert theirs to a random direction. I just hope they forget what happened. My voice wasn't so loud, was it?

Oops! I spotted a familiar face, not-so-charming-beauty. He was sitting, and was absorbed in his phone. He had earphones on, which was a good sign. He might've not heard me. Something was different about him though. He had a smirk plastered on his face.

We arrived at Station 7. The doors slid open and the passengers headed for the door. Two security personnel entered the train. Heh, good luck with waking up the category 2 guy; trust me, I tried. I took a side glance at the windows. It was dark outside, but what caught my attention was the reflection on the glass. Of course, I was right there. What I didn't expect was for not-so-charming-beauty to be right behind me.

I was pretty sure he was seated on a reasonably far distance from where I stood. Oh well. Here's the door. I stepped out and turned right.

"I'm sorry."

I paused. My eyes were wide as I turned around. He was walking away, his back to me. Did I just imagine him mutter something? But why would he apo-… Oh, it was for the shoving last time. Maybe he wasn't not-so-charming after all.

People were giving me strange looks again. So what? Can't I voice out my happiness, for no apparent reason?

* * *

I passed through the door and was inside the familiar MRT for the nth time. My eyes moved from one face to another, out of habit I guess. But I wasn't able to locate the face I was looking for. The doors behind me shut and the train started running. I wasn't sure why I was disappointed. Maybe I just pity him for having to wait an hour before this train goes back.

By 'him', I was referring to not-so-charming-beauty. He may have crossed out the 'not-so' in that title before. But it's just more fun to say the complete nickname.

I had been seeing him in the train almost everyday of the entire month, weekends exempted. I guess that's just the way things are. Once you become aware of someone/something, you begin to see he/she/it more often. Within that period, I never seemed to get bored in the train anymore. I found it more enduring even without my mp3 player. He offered some kind of… entertainment, in a way.

I always smiled at him in greeting but I always got nothing in return. Seriously, is he a robot? 'Cause he could definitely pass as one. I tried to bump into him on purpose, 'accidentally' stepped on his foot, sneezed in front of him, again 'accidentally' elbowed his side, but all of those went down the drain. He had no reaction at all! Now that, my friend… was entertainment.

I only saw a change in his facial expression two times. Both involved an extra-ordinary passenger on board. Those changes were a small scowl and a small smirk. And I saw those four weeks ago!

We never really talked or anything, except for short interactions, if you could call it that. I tell him my occasional apologies for the 'accidents'. And he gives me his usual response: hn. But he sort of became my travelling companion, and now that he's not around... Neh!… I didn't miss him! I mean, I hardly knew the guy. I sighed. I wonder what he's up to. Why was he absent?

I peered around once more. Sakura, he wasn't in this train. I turned to my left. Why was I still searching for him? He always stood here… near the door. I turned to my right. So, I should just qui- There he is!

So that's why I didn't see him immediately. He had been sitting all this time! I felt as though I was betrayed. How could he not stand here with me? Then I thought… I shouldn't really feel that way. We're not friends. We're not acquaintances. The heck, I didn't even know he's name!

I turned around to face the door pane. There was the view, the same old sinking star… I wished I brought my mp3 player with me.

The train halted at Station 4. I stepped aside to let the others out and craned my neck to search for any vacant seats. All the others who stood were already seated. And when the passengers destined here were unloaded, I was the only one left standing.

I shrugged and walked over to the door side, where I could lean against. I took my phone out and checked my messages. It's time to clear my sent items folder. The doors were starting to close; I barely noticed it in my peripheral vision. Then someone glided out through it at the last second. I jolted at the unexpected action. I blinked, my eyebrows furrowed. I looked over to his seat and confirmed my thoughts.

Not-so-charming-beauty just left the train… at Station 4. I may have not known anything about him. But one thing I was sure of was that, this is not his stop. I walked over to the seat he previously occupied and sat down.

Okay, let's analyze the situation here. I was the only one standing and he practically offered his seat. Well, he didn't say it directly, but it was implied by his action. So, did he really go out the train just for me to have a seat? Woah, that was really extreme and quite irrational. He could've just stood, instead. But then, he's the silent type. Maybe, he was shy to actually offer the seat through speech?

Oh my God! Did that mean he likes me? I pondered with that possibility for the rest of the ride.

I was at Station 7. I decided to wait for him and clear things up. That was really over the top. He didn't have to unload the train for that reason alone. What a stupid not-so-charming-beauty!

The train just arrived. There were only a few passengers, so it was easy to spot him. I walked over to him across the platform. He paused once he saw I was nearing him. I stopped a meter away.

"Hi." I said.

"Hn." Thought so.

"Okay, let's get this over with. You know, you didn't have to do what you did earlier. I mean, you could've just asked me. You didn't have to get off the train. Now, you're an hour late because of me."

"Hn."

"Look, you don't need to hide it anymore. I figured it out. There's no need to be ashamed about it. It's just a crush." I studied his reaction, but he still didn't give anything away.

"Tell me…" Finally, he spoke. "You're a stalker, aren't you?"

That… caught me off-guard. "What?" I asked dumbly.

"You've been following me. You've been trying to get my attention. You even went as far as to wait in this station. If there's anyone that should be humiliated here, it wasn't me." His voice was a deep baritone. And his tone resembled his face, indifferent.

"B-but I thought… Hey, don't turn things the other way around! You're the one who've been observing me in the train. Why else would you drop off at Station 4 and give your seat away to the only person standing in there? That's a stupid thing to do by the way."

He raised an eyebrow. Now, that's a level-up. Then he raised his arm, or rather, the bag of tomatoes in his grasp. He wasn't carrying that when he dropped off at Station 4. I just stared at it, wide-eyed. Oh, mkay.

"You're annoying."

I just put myself in boiling water. 100 degrees Celsius of steaming embarrassment. I was melting, spreading all over the marble floor and onto his shoes.

"You know what? Forget I said all of that. I-it's all just a big misunderstanding. Forgive me for taking your time. I hate to break it to you, but I'm definitely not a stalker. You're not the only one who lives in this side of town, you know. So, it's normal that we see each other frequently."

"Hn." Oh, so you're back to that response huh.

"I gotta go now. Good night." I turned and started walking away.

"Wait."

That made me pause. When did I become voice activated? I looked back at him. "Yeah?"

"You. If you're not a stalker, what are you called then?" he asked.

Funny, that sounded like a pick-up line. Ha! I wish! I'm through with assuming things. "I'm your co-passenger, silly."

His eyes narrowed. "I meant your name."

"Why do you want it?" I narrowed my eyes back.

"So I know what to label you as, other than Miss Cotton candy." So I wasn't the only one giving nick names. That made my eyebrow twitch.

"Say your name first, not-so-" It wouldn't be good to say it aloud. "Ehem. What's your name?"

His eyebrows furrowed. I remember that look, only beside a certain sleeping prince. "Sasuke."

I smiled at him then. "Well nice meeting you, Sasuke-kun." I teased before I turned away and resumed walking.

"Hey." He didn't shout, but I heard his voice clearly.

"It's Sakura!" I yelled without looking back. He didn't deserve to have a glimpse of my childish grin at the moment.

* * *

I scurried across the lobby and twisted through the crowd as if I were a dodge ball player. I stepped on someone's foot and bumped shoulders with another, but I didn't pause. My breath was speeding ahead of me.

"SORRY!" that ought to do it.

I sprinted up the escalator and the familiar row of gates came into view. I darted towards one, shoved my ticket in, glided through, and grabbed the now punched ticket on the other side. Then I was in dodge ball player mode again, making my way through another crowd at the platform.

In my haste, I spotted a familiar hair style. It wasn't easy to miss, since he's tall. He passed through the doors of the train. Oh no! The doors were closing! I mustered what strength I had left and ran for my dear life.

"WAIT!"

Like the expert I am at this branch of knowledge, I slipped through the door before it slid closed. I did it! I let out a sigh of relief.

Wait. Something was off at this scenario. The train wasn't full today. In fact, there were a lot of vacant seats. I shrugged. It may just be the fact that the school break had started. Almost half of the passenger population was composed of college students, after all. Only a few high school students go home at six PM. And most office workers have their own private cars.

I looked around for a seat. Oh! There's not-so-charming-beauty! Might as well have some familiar company. I walked over to the bench and sat beside him.

"Hi!" I greeted, smiling as widely as possible.

He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Hn."

I wouldn't say we've become close. But ever since we knew each other's names, it's more like he'd been… less aloof. He'd been speaking in actual words every now and then. I learned that he's also a college student. He's majoring in criminology. I, on the other hand, am majoring in medical technology. Oh, would you look at that! Even our majors were alike. They both have –nology at the end.

He was silent today. This wasn't new; I was always the one to initiate a conversion.

"So, do you plan to go somewhere this vacation?"

"Yes."

"Oh, that's great! I've always wanted to go to other places as well, but I couldn't find the time. Where to?"

"Ame."

"That's pretty far from here. I heard it also rains there a lot. You better pack an umbrella if I were you. The weather is unpredictable. Do you have any relatives living there? Where do you plan stay?"

"With my brother."

"Wait! Don't say his name. I got this! It's… Id… It… Itachi! It's Itachi, right?"

"Right."

"Yes! Told you I'd remember his name. I wonder if he looks like you. Do you two look alike?"

He didn't answer this time. He just stared at me, as I waited for his reply.

I can't take that look *cough cough glare* anymore. "What?"

"Are you sure you're not a stalker?"

I sighed. "Are we going to go through this again? How many times do I have to tell you? We just happen to have the same train and destination. If anything, I could probably say the same thing to you."

"Really? 'Cause I wasn't the one who followed someone in a train to Ame."

I was frozen in place. "WHAT?!"

I looked out the window. There was the sunset alright, but the buildings were alien to me. I looked back at him as if he were a ghost. My heart beat was matching the speed of the train.

"Oh my God! Why didn't you say so?"

"You never asked." He scowled.

"Ugh! Where will the next stop be?"

"At Ame."

"What?... And how long will it take to get there?"

"Two hours."

That did it. I was doomed. What would I say to mom and dad? Wait, that's not a problem. I could just call them and explain the disaster that just happened. Yeah, that's no big deal. Oh no! Dad mentioned they won't be home tonight. How could I have forgotten about that? They were supposed to attend a dinner party at Suna! Who would feed Katsuyu? I could message my neighbor for that. But she always goes home late!

Relax Sakura… Just calm down… I can figure this out. So, it will take me about four hours to get back to Konoha. That is, if I can catch a ride back as soon as I get to Ame. I glanced at my watch, it's 6:30. Hold on, I'd been in here for only 15 minutes. So, that meant I already missed the ride to Shinobi District before I even got to the platform! Great.

Anyways, so approximately, I'd get to Katsuyu by 11. I groaned. Poor little girl. She would be left alone in the house. She'd dig for dad's socks again in the laundry. Then she'd eventually get bored playing all alone. I could just imagine her ears drooping while she gazes out the window, waiting for me to get home.

I took my phone out and messaged Ms. Tsunade, our neighbor. I hoped, by miracle, she'd go home early today… and sober. I sighed. I'm sorry Katsuyu.

"Stop that." I turned to Sasuke, suddenly reminded of his presence. He's elbows were rested on his knees, and his head on his folded hands.

I raised an eyebrow. "Stop what?"

"Worrying."

Two eyebrows. "And why do you care if I worry about something?"

"Because you become an eyesore." Ouch. He stated that like it's a fact.

"Well, excuse me. I wasn't molded as perfect as you are." I glared daggers at him.

He turned to look at me, his eyebrows furrowed even further. "I didn't mean it like that."

Really now... "Well then, what else could that statement mean?"

He looked away and rested his head on his hands once more. "Hn."

I sighed. "Forget it." I had other problems to think about.

"Don't wear that expression. You can't pull it off." He muttered.

I still didn't get him. "What?"

"A frown doesn't look good on you." His voice was faint. I almost didn't catch what he said.

Did I just hear him complement my smile? The comment actually made me do the implied action. "Thanks."

"Hn."

A comfortable silence followed our conversation. I let my eyes stray around. The people looked like they were in their own worlds, much like me. Some were staring out the glass windows. Some were focused on their mobiles. Others were chatting with their seatmates. I wondered if those seatmates also met in an MRT. The rest of the passengers were shut from the world. My! There's a lot of category threes in here. I couldn't blame them, the ride was long.

"You're doing that again." I looked at Sasuke. He's now sitting upright.

"I wasn't frowning." I sounded defensive. Which I wasn't!

"I meant the people watching." He smirked.

My eyebrows shot up. "I knew you were the stalker here. Admit it. You were the one who's been watching my every move."

His smirk never left. "Well, you attract a lot of attention. Especially with that drunk guy."

Were my eyebrows still there? I think they went up to outer space. "Look who's talking! Who's the one that got drool on his shirt?" I couldn't help the fit of laughter that escaped me. That incident was really hilarious! "Well, none other than the not-so-charming-beauty!"

"The what?"

I ceased laughing. Oh-uh... I risked a side-glance at him. His eyes were narrowed and his eyebrow joined mine into space.

"N-nothing! I say non-sense things when I laugh. Heh, it's kind of a habit."

"Not-so-charming-beauty? Hn. Where did that come from?" Then his lips formed a smirk.

"Oh, that's none of your business!" My ears and cheeks were getting warm. "Just… just scratch that okay?"

"Hn."

One-thousand one. One-thousand two. One-thousand three. One-thousand four. One-thousand five.

"Why do you always get the last word?"

Silence had yet again joined the conversation. "Hn."

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. I felt my phone vibrate from my bag. It's Ms. Tsunade. 'Chill Sakura, I'm on my way home. It's my day off. I'll take care of Katsuyu 'til you get back. Oh! And I won't tell your parents. –Wink-.'

That's Ms. Tsunade for you, and she's that cool. I checked the time, 7:30. I put my phone back in the bag and settled to just look out the window opposite our bench. Stars... There were millions of those against the dark dark super dark sky. I was reminded of my seatmate's irises. I realized, I like the night sky… With all the glitters and stuff… They say black is a cool color… But I find its presence pretty warm…

Black

"Hey." A murmur.

The earth was shaking.

"Sakura."

The earth shook again. I raised my eyelids and squinted at the sudden light. My left cheek was warm. I roamed my eyes to make out my surroundings. Train? Oh yea, I was in a train. I sat up straight.

"We're here." Came a voice from my left. Sasuke!

I whipped my head to his direction. I fell asleep… and on his shoulder! My cheeks got warm, but not in contact with anything this time. I remembered something and reached for his black shirt, just near its collar.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

I was relieved to find it dry. "Nothing!" I stood up. "C'mon, let's go!"

He took the duffle bag beside his seat. Why hadn't I noticed that before? We were on our way to the door when he muttered something.

"It didn't go to my shirt. It fell straight to the floor."

I turned to look at him and put on my best puppy pout. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." If his tone wasn't so neutral, that could've passed as sarcasm.

Before I passed through the door, I took a peek at the spot where we just sat. Well duh! There wasn't anything on the floor!

We walked across the platform and through the gates. Of course, I paid for the amount difference. Ame is far more distant than Shinobi District. Goodbye, my savings.

So this is Ame's train station. It's not as spacious as Konoha's, but not as crowded either. It's my first time to be out of Konoha City, the feeling was quite liberating. And I haven't even seen the actual Ame City yet.

"Sasuke! There you are little brother."

I turned to see the owner of the voice and my jaw dropped to the tile flooring. Wow! I guess being a charming beauty is in their DNA. So this is Itachi. He resembles his brother, but they look different at the same time. He had long hair, with the same color as Sasuke's, in a low pony tail. But that just seemed to add up to his… excuse my French, hotness.

"Itachi." Wow. This guy sure was 'enthusiastic' to see his older brother.

Itachi walked towards us, and Sasuke stepped forward to share a short 'man hug' with his brother.

"It's good to see you again, Sasuke. How's the trip?"

"Hn." So, he was like that to everyone.

Itachi met my eyes. He raised an eyebrow, and then smirked. "And you brought your girlfriend with you. Well, this is a first."

I turned to Sasuke. Yup! I guessed right, there's that scowl again. "She's not. She's Sakura…" His gaze shifted to mine, "an acquaintance."

"Oh, I see." Did I just imagine his mocking tone? "Hi there Sakura! It's an honor to meet my brother's acquaintance." I didn't miss the stress on the last word.

I stepped forward beside Sasuke, and shook the hand Itachi offered. "It's nice to meet you too, Itachi-san."

His brows pulled up. "It's good to know you're already aware of my name."

I smiled. "Yeah. I kind of interrogated him about stuff."

His eyes narrowed as his gaze flickered to Sasuke. "And he answered every question?"

"Yeah." What's wrong with that?

At that, his eyelids revealed more of his eyes.

"That's enough." Sasuke interrupted before he looked at me. "You have something to take care of." Then he faced his brother. "Itachi, I have something to do first. It'll just take a while. Meet me at the cafeteria. I'll be right back."

Sasuke tossed his duffle bag to Itachi, who caught it with ease. Then he grabbed my wrist and walked away, dragging me with him. As we were going down the escalator, Itachi's shout reached our ears.

"LITTLE BROTHER! DON'T FORGET TO WEAR PROTECTION, OKAY?!"

I pretended I didn't hear that.

We strode across the lobby.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Correction, you're going." He answered, still gripping my wrist.

"And to where would I go?" We stopped in front of the ticket purchasing counter and fell in line. Oh. So, I'm going back. But why do I feel sad about that now?

"To your correct destination." He muttered.

The line was quick to move. We were already next in line, when I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

"Sasuke. Thank you, but I don't think I want to go."

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to travel back to the right place?"

I shook my head and beamed at him. His face remained indifferent, as I stared at the dark dark super dark eyes staring back at me. I can hardly see his pupils. Mississippi one. Mississippi two. He smirked.

I took a deep breath. "I'm already there."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Inspired by the quote: **

**"Many times, the 'wrong' train took me to the right place." by Paulo Coelho**

**Thank you for having reached this part of the page. I hope you enjoyed the ride! :)**


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